AMD SKY technology powers the ecosystem that enables AMD FirePro™ S-series server cards and AMD Radeon™ SKY Series graphics cards to be used to power Visual Cloud applications in both commercial and consumer workflows.

AMD FirePro™ S-series cards and AMD SKY Technology enable high quality Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) and Virtualized Workstation installations by accelerating graphics content via AMD GPUs deployed in the Cloud. With AMD FirePro™ S-Series cards, engineering, financial, educational, medical and other workstation applications can be used seamlessly by professional users working on thin or zero clients but with native response times, for a graphically rich and highly response experience.

When AMD Radeon™ SKY-series cards and AMD SKY Technology are combined, service providers can stream multiple games from the Cloud to consumers, delivering a high quality, low latency gaming experience to a wide variety of devices.

AMD SKY Technology is compatible with middleware from third parties, like Ubitus, Eureva, G-Cluster and Leap Computing, and also features the AMD RapidFire SDK for optimal desktop or application remoting. There are a number of features that address the specific needs of each workflow. This simplifies the manipulation of key hardware controls and provides HD visual quality, minimal latency and optimal network bandwidth resulting in a compelling and responsive experience from any device over the Internet.

AMD RAPIDFIRE SDK

A unique offering of AMD SKY technology, the AMD RapidFire SDK facilitates the use of AMD’s independent on board H.264 encoder. Every AMD FirePro™ S-Series and AMD Radeon™ SKY graphics card is capable of encoding multiple simultaneous streams of H.264 at different resolutions and quality settings without impacting GPU performance. The AMD RapidFire SDK helps to optimize the data encoding path to reduce latency and incorporates defined presets to minimize integration efforts and speed up development time. Further, the AMD RapidFire SDK simplifies the manipulation of key hardware parameters such as resolution, frame rate and bitrate control to minimize network bandwidth while delivering high definition images.

CLOUD GAMING
With the AMD RapidFire SDK, cloud service providers and middleware cloud gaming vendors can seamlessly stream AAA titles or casual games over the Internet to a variety of consumer devices. AMD RapidFire provides the flexibility of delivering multiple game streams at HD resolution. The end result is a console quality gaming experience on virtually any device – including smartphones, smart TVs, tablets, notebooks and desktops. The benefit is a consolidated data center running an optimal number of games per GPU.

VIRTUALIZATION
IT departments are increasingly moving employees to virtualized desktops or streaming applications that reside in the data center. The AMD RapidFire SDK works behind the scenes to ensure that desktop or application delivery over the corporate network is as responsive as a local experience. This includes both the graphical imagery displayed on the screen as well as capturing user interaction, e.g. keyboard strokes or mouse movement. From power users to knowledge workers, AMD RapidFire helps deliver a no compromise remoted experience.

The AMD RapidFire SDK includes1:

•

H.264 Encode

•

H.264 Decode

•

Desktop or Window Capture

•

Support for OpenGL 4.3, DirectX® 9 and 11.1

•

Remote User Interface Intercept (e.g. remote keyboard, mouse)

In line with AMD’s commitment to industry standard APIs, like OpenCL™, DirectX® and OpenGL, an industry standard API for Cloud Gaming and Virtualization can help to align both industries around one platform and drive continued innovations that benefit consumers and businesses alike.

AMD SKY technology is a set of features offered with select AMD FirePro™ graphics cards for powering visual cloud applications. Not all products have all features and full enablement of some capabilities may require complementary software. Check with your system manufacturer for specific capabilities and supported technologies.

2

AMD Eyefinity™ technology supports up to six DisplayPort™ monitors on an enabled graphics card. Supported display quantity, type and resolution vary by model and board design; confirm specifications with manufacturer before purchase. To enable more than two displays, or multiple displays from a single output, additional hardware such as DisplayPort-ready monitors or DisplayPort 1.2 MST-enabled hubs may be required. A maximum of two active adapters is recommended for consumer systems. See www.amd.com/eyefinityfaq for full details.

3

AMD does not provide a license/sublicense to any intellectual property rights relating to any to any standards, including but not limited to any audio and/or video codec technologies such as AVC/H.264/MPEG-4, AVC, VC-1, MPEG-2, and DivX/xVid.